Koizumi carefully sized up the two of them. Both wore outfits similar to hunters' garb, with faint smiles on their faces.
They looked about the same age as Koizumi. Unless they had matured early, they should have been his peers.
"Brother, are you from outside the Imperial Capital too?" The boy's easy familiarity left Koizumi somewhat speechless.
When he had first met Mash and Ritsuka, neither of them had been this overly friendly.
Or was warmth their local "specialty"?
"Just call me Koizumi. I am indeed from outside the Imperial Capital." Koizumi smiled faintly. "What about you two?"
"We're the same. My name is Sayo, and he's Ieyasu. We came to the Imperial Capital to look for our friend Tatsumi. And if possible, we also want to enlist and serve the Empire." The girl named Sayo revealed a gentle smile.
"Does your friend live in the Imperial Capital?" Koizumi asked casually.
"No. It was mainly because of what happened a while ago. Tatsumi suddenly said he was going to the Imperial Capital and only left behind a letter. Then, a few days later, General Esdeath, known as the Empire's strongest, suddenly came to our little village looking for Tatsumi. But Tatsumi had already left by then. After General Esdeath told the local officials to take good care of our village, she left. Since then, our village has been doing very well."
When she mentioned Esdeath, Sayo's face showed a trace of longing.
Ieyasu could not help revealing an envious look as well.
"To think Tatsumi would catch General Esdeath's attention. That guy is incredible. So, to help Tatsumi and repay General Esdeath, we came to the Imperial Capital."
"But we don't know where Tatsumi is, and we don't know how to handle the relevant procedures either. Then Miss Aerya found us, and we followed her. I heard Miss Aerya is a noble too, so maybe she can help us a lot." As she said this, Sayo's face filled with anticipation.
It was clearly anticipation for the future.
The Empire's strongest general... Koizumi murmured inwardly.
Koizumi did not have much of a sense for strength and weakness, but he knew that Reimu and Hata no Kokoro were both very strong. As for exactly how strong, he had never seen it for himself, so he could not really say.
Aerya, who had overheard the conversation behind her, was rather surprised. These two had actually met General Esdeath, one of the two generals known as the Empire's strongest.
Behind Koizumi and the others, the black-cloaked person Koizumi had bumped into earlier stared fixedly in their direction.
A trace of killing intent flashed between the boy's brows, but he quickly suppressed it.
The next moment, watching Aerya and the others leave, the boy hurriedly followed them in secret.
The Failed Command Seal
"Oh, Aerya brought several more people back." Aerya's father spoke with a kindly expression, while her mother smiled gently. "It's become a habit now. Which number is this?"
"Mom..." Aerya looked slightly embarrassed.
Koizumi could not help sweeping his gaze around. He had finally seen what kind of place nobles in this world lived in.
But after seeing Chaldea's luxury, Koizumi did not feel much about a place like this.
Sayo and Ieyasu, on the other hand, looked extremely restrained and hurriedly thanked Aerya's parents.
"Thank you so much this time. Without Miss Aerya, we might have had to sleep on the street."
"Thank you very much..." Koizumi merely smiled faintly and gave the two of them a slight bow.
Even without Aerya, it was not as though Koizumi had nowhere to go. Sleeping on the street was no big deal.
And if Aerya had not appeared, Koizumi would have summoned Reimu and Hata no Kokoro long ago.
Come to think of it, why did something always happen whenever he was about to summon them? Did heaven not want him to use his Command Seals?
Aerya's parents warmly entertained them. Ieyasu and Sayo looked flattered beyond measure. They probably had not expected the people of the Imperial Capital to be so friendly... probably...
No, something felt strange. But what exactly was strange? Koizumi frowned slightly as he looked around.
"Is something wrong, Koizumi?" Aerya asked warmly.
Koizumi froze slightly, only then realizing that Sayo and the others were also looking at him with puzzled expressions.
Koizumi immediately looked embarrassed. Letting his mind wander while everyone was talking was far too rude.
"Nothing. I'm just a little worried about my friends." As he said this, a trace of distress appeared on Koizumi's face. Come to think of it, where exactly were those two girls? Why could he not find them no matter what?
"Don't worry, Koizumi. Starting tomorrow, I'll have my family's servants help look for them."
During the journey, Aerya had already learned that Koizumi was looking for two women. One wore shrine maiden robes, while the other liked to wear a mask over her face and used masks to express her emotions.
They were both very strange female friends, but perhaps that was simply what outsiders were like. That was what Aerya thought.
However, Aerya seemed to notice something else on Koizumi's body. It was—
"Hey, Koizumi, what's that red mark on your hand? I've wanted to ask since earlier."
As she spoke, Aerya's eyes were filled with curiosity.
Aerya was referring to the red mark on Koizumi's hand—the Command Seal. It left Koizumi stunned for a moment.
Koizumi paused, as though hesitating. Only after a while did he finally speak.
"This is a special mark from my hometown. Generally, anyone who comes from there has one on their hand."
For the moment, this seemed to be the only excuse Koizumi could come up with, but it was at least plausible.
"Eh? Do your two friends have them too?" If they did, perhaps they could find them very quickly.
After all, they would only need to check whether the other person's hand had a similar mark. That would make them much easier to find.
"No, they don't have them..." Koizumi gently shook his head. He understood what she was thinking. If they had some identifying mark, they might have been easier to find, but unfortunately...
"I see. That's really a shame..." Aerya could not help saying.
I think it's a shame too. Looking for them like this is far too troublesome.
Still, the Imperial Capital did not seem too large. It should not be too difficult to search through it, Koizumi thought.
"By the way, how is the food here? Is it good?" Aerya asked.
"Uh, it's delicious." Ieyasu and Sayo spoke with grateful expressions.
Koizumi nodded as well. The food here truly was delicious; he had to admit that.
"As long as you're satisfied!" Aerya nodded with great satisfaction.
After receiving Aerya's family's warm hospitality, Koizumi and the others arrived at the rooms arranged for them.
"Come to think of it... if Reimu knew I was resting in such a wealthy place..."
Apparently imagining Reimu's money-grubbing personality, Koizumi could not help smiling.
Although Reimu was shameless and greedy for money, Koizumi could not bring himself to dislike her at all.
And there was Hata no Kokoro. Although she could only express emotions through masks, Koizumi liked her very much too.
It was just a pity that Hata no Kokoro and the others seemed to regard him only as their so-called Master, not as a friend.
Reimu also kept more or less some distance from him, which left Koizumi somewhat helpless.
Still, Koizumi believed that one day, the distance between them would disappear.
"Right, why not try it here..."
Koizumi's gaze fell on the Command Seals on his hand, and an idea suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"By Command Seal, I command—"
Gradually, the Command Seals on Koizumi's hand began to emit a red glow. It was a sign that the Command Seal was about to take effect.
"Archer Hakurei Reimu, Lancer Hata no Kokoro, come to my side at once!"
One stroke of the Command Seal burst into red light before Koizumi's eyes, but unexpectedly...
Neither Reimu nor Hata no Kokoro appeared at Koizumi's side, and surprise flickered in his eyes.
What was going on? My Command Seal didn't work... Why?
A thoughtful look flickered in Koizumi's eyes as his gaze remained fixed on the two remaining Command Seal strokes on his hand.
The Command Seal did not work. Could there be some problem with the Command Seal system? Was it on Yakumo Yukari's end?
Thinking of this, helplessness appeared on Koizumi's face.
Come to think of it, Yukari had not even left him a way to contact her. Seriously.
Did she really think she could do whatever she wanted just because she had the ability to spy on people? Were all youkai this fond of acting recklessly?
Koizumi understood Yakumo Yukari's gap ability to some extent, after all. He was her Master now.
Koizumi could observe Yakumo Yukari's abilities using his authority as her Master.
So Koizumi had some understanding of Yakumo Yukari's strength. According to Yukari, her current state was not her true power, yet based on Koizumi's observations, she was probably even more terrifying than Reimu and Hata no Kokoro combined. And that was not even her true form. Koizumi could not imagine how strong her real body was.
All right, back to the point. Unable to contact the others through his Command Seals, Koizumi could only lie on the bed with a troubled expression, silently staring at the ceiling.
At that moment, a black-cloaked boy appeared near Aerya's home.
Bulat the Hundred-Man Slayer
The black-cloaked boy arrived near Aerya's home and scanned the surroundings.
The next moment, a helpless expression appeared on his face beneath the black cloak.
"This place is still the same as ever... but..." As he continued, the black-cloaked boy's expression darkened.
After a while, the boy finally sighed and turned his gaze in another direction.
As though to avoid being discovered by others, the boy kept concealing his movements.
Slowly, the boy arrived at a very open area, and surprise immediately appeared in his eyes.
"How could this be... If I remember correctly, this should have been this family's..."
There was disbelief in the boy's tone, as though he could not understand the problem at all.
"What exactly is going on?" The boy gradually calmed down and began surveying the area.
"Sure enough, this place is completely different from the world I knew. Not only the nobles' conduct, but this entire Empire..."
"Who goes there?" At that moment, the guards of the estate seemed to have noticed the boy's presence. They hurriedly surrounded the black-cloaked boy, their weapons aimed at him.
Whether he was hostile or not, trespassing into this estate was sufficient reason for them to surround him.
The boy glanced around, a helpless expression appearing on his face.
He had intended to come quietly and leave quietly. Who would have thought he would still be discovered?
He was an assassin too, and he possessed the ability to hide his presence, yet...
Seeing something that made him unable to maintain his current emotions had caused him to accidentally leak his aura.
The boy silently placed his right hand on the hilt of the sword behind his back.
The next moment, the boy's figure flashed, and the sword on his back had already been drawn.
In an instant, all the guards let out muffled groans and collapsed to the ground. The only one still standing was the sword-wielding boy.
"This place seems different from what I imagined. Though I still hate this family..."
As the boy spoke and prepared to leave, he seemed to sense something, and his body immediately froze.
Then the boy hurriedly leaped backward. A sharp whistling sound tore through the air, and dust burst up where he had just been standing.
"An invisibility ability... Could it be..."
Disbelief showed in the boy's eyes, and the arm holding his sword trembled faintly.
"I originally planned to knock you out and take you away, but it seems you're no ordinary warrior."
"You had no intention of knocking me out with that attack just now!"
The boy could not help retorting, his gaze focusing on the person who had spoken.
This was someone entirely clad in armor. Judging from the voice, it was a man.
No, there was no need to guess. The man before him was more familiar to the boy than anyone else.
Although the man before him might not know him at all, he would never forget him.
"Big—" The boy's voice abruptly stopped. Then he gripped his sword tightly and stared at the other man with vigilance.
He could not call him by that title. The other man did not know him at all. Though he knew that fact, it still hurt deeply.
For now, he should find a way to leave. Staying here any longer was truly not a good idea.
At first, he had only worried that this noble might do something terrible to Ieyasu and the others. Now it seemed he had overthought things a little.
"Don't say any more, boy. Though I would like you to put down your weapon, it doesn't look like you intend to do so."
The armored man spoke with intense fighting spirit in his voice.
Before you continue